What is Success?
--By Bessie Anderson Stanley
Her poem was written in 1904 for a contest held in Brown Book Magazine,by George Livingston Richards Co. of Boston, Massachusetts Mrs. Stanley, of Lincoln, Kansas, submitted the words in the form of an essay, rather than as a poem. The competition was to answer the question "What is success?" in 100 words or less. Mrs. Stanley won the first prize of $250.
Written in verse form, it reads:
He has achieved success
who has lived well,
laughed often,
and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and
the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty
or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and
given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.
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